Hi, I am new to TLS forums. I apologize if this question has already been asked, as I am sure it has many times, but how many hours does it require to come close to scoring a 180 with decent probability that you will receive that score? I know that every test taker is different and that we all have different methods that are faster/slower etc., however a concrete numerical answer would be greatly appreciated. I had an initial goal of 1000 hours.

Second question, I don't have an internship this summer (currently an incoming junior) so I have been spending roughly 5-6 hours a day (5 days a week) at my local library of intense LSAT study. I intend to take the test in Fall of 2017, so that is really far away. I also fully intend to study during school, breaks, weekends, and next summer if I can, but I want to be sure that the information and skills I acquire this summer studying for the LSAT won't be worthless. Is prepping for the LSAT something that can be studied for well in advance? Or will I get the most out of prepping 2-3 months ahead of the exam instead?

the fact that everyone is different means there is no number anyone can give you. you can study your whole life and still not manage close to a 180. others can get it after studying for just a few weeks. there is a necessary amount of studying that must be done, but there is not a sufficient amount. but I like the Cicero reference in your name.

Last edited by proteinshake on Thu May 26, 2016 11:18 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Based on what I've read, you are really *way* too far out to benefit from studying with that much intensity. Maybe try for an internship or maybe something that will help the same type of skills you will use...others may have suggestions for that. Maybe learning to code or a programming language will help you a bit with some logic skills. I'm just spitballing, but I haven't really seen anyone here ever indicate that you'll benefit from studying five hours a day over a year away from the test...

I dunno! Either way, there is no specific number as some will tell you. I don't think there's any way to guarantee a 180...

In summation, I would venture to suggest you work on underlying skills - perhaps even look at some basic LSAT stuff - but commit that five hours a day to something else. I just don't think it's a productive use of your time.

Res publica wrote:Hi, I am new to TLS forums. I apologize if this question has already been asked, as I am sure it has many times, but how many hours does it require to come close to scoring a 180 with decent probability that you will receive that score? I know that every test taker is different and that we all have different methods that are faster/slower etc., however a concrete numerical answer would be greatly appreciated. I had an initial goal of 1000 hours.

Second question, I don't have an internship this summer (currently an incoming junior) so I have been spending roughly 5-6 hours a day (5 days a week) at my local library of intense LSAT study. I intend to take the test in Fall of 2017, so that is really far away. I also fully intend to study during school, breaks, weekends, and next summer if I can, but I want to be sure that the information and skills I acquire this summer studying for the LSAT won't be worthless. Is prepping for the LSAT something that can be studied for well in advance? Or will I get the most out of prepping 2-3 months ahead of the exam instead?

As proteinshake and 34iplaw have stated 1.) there is no concrete numerical guess. It is almost like asking how long does one have to study for an IQ test before they can be a genius? You address this in your OP by acknowledging these differences.2.) There are much better things to do with your time for now. Ensuring you do well and raise your GPA is one of them. Internships to build your resume. Getting to know professors for LOR, etc.

5 hours a day will burn you out. If it doesn't then you will run out of materials and end up with nothing to study for the home stretch of your prep. You can always work on RC by the Economist and WSJ.

If you want a 180, part of that is going to be natural ability and some will be studying smart. I would give yourself 4-6 months of intense prep with not much else going on.

But do you think studying that much will provide little to no benefit for the LSAT exam? I've always had the understanding that true mastery can come from throwing tons and tons of hours at something, as long as you are willing to do it. But maybe I am over-killing it :p And believe me, if I could get an internship I'd totally do that instead over this. Also, I'm taking summer class to boost GPA.

I'm just asking for the minimum. I'm not asking, "how many hours do I need to get a 180," rather "On average, people who got 180s put in a minimum of x hours." Sorry I think I made it confusing

Res publica wrote:But do you think studying that much will provide little to no benefit for the LSAT exam? I've always had the understanding that true mastery can come from throwing tons and tons of hours at something, as long as you are willing to do it. But maybe I am over-killing it :p And believe me, if I could get an internship I'd totally do that instead over this. Also, I'm taking summer class to boost GPA.

I'm just asking for the minimum. I'm not asking, "how many hours do I need to get a 180," rather "On average, people who got 180s put in a minimum of x hours." Sorry I think I made it confusing

Thanks for all the support!

It's quite possible that people who got 180 put no more hours than those who got 165.

It's different for everyone.. Not that it's a bad thing to have a total hours goal, but instead of that you should just go with the flow and learn the material. The hours will rack up on its own. You may exceed your goal hours or have way below it, it just all depends on how you feel at certain points in your prep.

This is the key part of your post. Time is a super valuable commodity... and your time would ABSOLUTELY be best spent getting your GPA up as much as you can. As someone who slacked off and only ended up w/ a 3.3, my single biggest regret of college was not having a higher GPA (and it made my life wayyyyy more difficult in applying to schools.) If you were able to study more and get that expected GPA up to a 3.8 or a 3.9, that's a big deal.

Don't you worry, the LSAT will be waiting for you after undergrad, and you'll be free to spend 100000000 hours (or however many hours you want) studying.

This is the key part of your post. Time is a super valuable commodity... and your time would ABSOLUTELY be best spent getting your GPA up as much as you can. As someone who slacked off and only ended up w/ a 3.3, my single biggest regret of college was not having a higher GPA (and it made my life wayyyyy more difficult in applying to schools.) If you were able to study more and get that expected GPA up to a 3.8 or a 3.9, that's a big deal.

Don't you worry, the LSAT will be waiting for you after undergrad, and you'll be free to spend 100000000 hours (or however many hours you want) studying.

TCR. If my GPA was higher, I wouldn't have been a "splitter" and ended up where I am (I love my school but im just sayin, fam)

GPA is the concern until a few months out from the exam. I went from a 155 to a 173 in like 4 months of half-assed studying

This is the key part of your post. Time is a super valuable commodity... and your time would ABSOLUTELY be best spent getting your GPA up as much as you can. As someone who slacked off and only ended up w/ a 3.3, my single biggest regret of college was not having a higher GPA (and it made my life wayyyyy more difficult in applying to schools.) If you were able to study more and get that expected GPA up to a 3.8 or a 3.9, that's a big deal.

Don't you worry, the LSAT will be waiting for you after undergrad, and you'll be free to spend 100000000 hours (or however many hours you want) studying.

Any tips how to get GPA up? Also, would law schools understand that my GPA is slightly lower for top schools because of a Finance and Economics double major? I initially had it because I like both and tend to do well in both, but if it's only going to hurt my chances of getting into law school maybe I should choose one. Thoughts?

Res publica wrote:Any tips how to get GPA up? Also, would law schools understand that my GPA is slightly lower for top schools because of a Finance and Economics double major? I initially had it because I like both and tend to do well in both, but if it's only going to hurt my chances of getting into law school maybe I should choose one. Thoughts?

1. Schools will not care about major for the most part (some schools claim to care about median GPA for a major/school...but that's probably bullshit.) 2. If it's easier for you to only deal with one major, I'd do that. I was a double-major in undergrad, and it mattered about .00001% in applying to law schools.3. My number 1 tip to getting your GPA up? Take easy classes.

This is the key part of your post. Time is a super valuable commodity... and your time would ABSOLUTELY be best spent getting your GPA up as much as you can. As someone who slacked off and only ended up w/ a 3.3, my single biggest regret of college was not having a higher GPA (and it made my life wayyyyy more difficult in applying to schools.) If you were able to study more and get that expected GPA up to a 3.8 or a 3.9, that's a big deal.

Don't you worry, the LSAT will be waiting for you after undergrad, and you'll be free to spend 100000000 hours (or however many hours you want) studying.

Yeah... this pretty much. I ended up with a 3.41 [which I thought was fine from my university], and I'm literally shocked at how high median UGPA for law school is. Then again, I didn't go to undergrad with the intent to go to law school. If I had a 3.7-3.8 [which is what I ended up with the two years I took absolutely crazy loaded schedules], I'd probably be able to get into T14 law programs with a 165-168 which would be very doable for me. Now I need a 170 for the lower and a 174+ for a shot at places like Columbia.